Improvement in gates



P. SMITH.

Gate. i

N. PETERS. FHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON, D C.

UNITED STATE-s PATENT rHrLnsTEn sMlTH, on PALMYRA, NEW YORK, AssIeNon orONE-HALF HIS RIGHT' TO SAMUEL W. SAVVYER, OF SAME PLACE.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 198,858, dated January l,1878 application filed November 15, 1877. i

To all 'whom it may concern: I

Beit known that I, PHILESTER SMITH, of the town of Palmyra, in thecounty of Wayne and State of New York, have invented a new anduseful`lfmprovement in Pivot-Slat Gates, which improvement is fully setforth in the following specification and accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure l represents a front elevation of the gate with its chiefaccompaniments; Fig. 2, a, like view with the gate in an elevatedposition. Figa 3 is a vertical section -through the loop-pawl andtemplet, hereinafter more fully described.

The object of my invention is to furnish a light, simple, and cheapdevice for holding the s front end of a farm-gate suspended at anydesired point either above or below a level, for separating thedifferent sizes of farm-stock, or to swing clear of mud, sand, or snow,as desired.

In the drawings, PP represent the gateposts, which, by mortise andtenon, are framed `into the mnd-sill S.,` B B- are the stiles, composedeach of two battens, which face each other, but-looselyT bestride theslats S', and are throughlbolted together by the bolts t, eachboltpassing through both battens and one end of cach slat, therebyloosely securing both ends of the slats, while the bolts themselves arefastened by nuts or rivets. The slats S', in number, size, and intervalsbetween, are suited to the varieties of farmv stock to be estopped.

A top end of the loop, passing through and holding the templet, andconstituting its pivotal point. v

In the top edge of the top slat the notches N N are formed by a slopedownward toward the front, and receive the telnplet as the loop passesback or forth at any desired point, for

raising or lowering the gate 5 and it conformsl second slat from the topin the loop A and latch-stile, while it is held down and limited in itsmovement by the metal clasp c, which is affixed to the same slat.

By means of mortises at any height in the latch-post the latch holds thegate closed, keeps it from swinging either way, and bars farm-stockagainst raising it for passing under, while the nuts u on the hooks h ofthe hinges prevent their throwing it off the hinges for the same object.The through-pin lprevents the sides of the pawl from warping, or fromclosing too tight for its free movement. A shoe, e, on the sill at thelatch-post receives the foot of the latch-stile, by which the hinge`post is relieved of the strain of the gates leverage, and at the sametime bars the stock from pushing it aside for passing through.'

The operation of the invention is as follows:

hand, which` movement shortens a cross-sec tion of the gate just inproportion to the eX- tent of its elevation or depressiom whereby thepawl W is released from and raised above 'the top slat, and the templetp, by the. same movement, raised out of the notch N, and as it naturallyleans back, it is carried by its own gravity back to any other notch, orby hand forward, as the gate is lowered to any notch of the same radialdistance as the notch it last occupied, settling, as the lifting forceis withdrawn,"into the same, and upholds the gate against any strain orweight less than a crushing force, the length of the rear portion of thetemplet preventing the pawl from indenting along its line of contact, orsplintering the edge of the slat. As the pawl leans to the rear, if

Tirion. l

it is desired to leave the gate open, by releasing the pawl and droppingthe gate to the ground, the strain is taken from the hingepost. In allupward movements of the gate the pawl is self-acting, but in loweringthe same it requires to be moved forward by hand. At whatever point, onopening the gate, it is stopped, its latch end may be dropped on theground, thereby relieving the hinge-post of the gates leverage, andpreventing the struct ure from becoming crank-sided.

Should the gate incline to drag on the ground, or be obstructed in anymanner by mud, sand,

. or snow, it is easily raised and held by the pawl to swing clear ofall obstructions.

For separating the different sizes of farmstock, the gate is easily setby this pawl for allowing the smaller ones to pass under, while thelarger ones are estopped.

i Having now described the construction and operation of my improvementin pivotslat gates, what I claim as vmy invention isl. In a pivot-slatgate, the loop-pawl W, bestriding all the slats S', and through-boltedto the bottom slat at its front end, provided with the oscillatorytemplet p, which, as the front end of the gate is raised, falls by itsown PHiLEsrER SMITH.

Witnesses:

BENJ. F. PARSONS, M. F. ODELL.

